Living
later life with PH 83
Mick Lovatt
Pulmonary hypertension doesn’t discriminate on age and maintaining hobbies and social interaction can be even more important as we get older. Mary Ferguson spoke to two pensioners making the most of their later years.
nger ick, 83, is no stra M d se a b eir sh rd Staffo d with itions. Diagnose d n co h lt ea h le h to multip halfway throug n o si n te er p y h r pulmonary r, he’s now cance ce n ca e at st ro p . treatment for held back by PH e b to t o n ed in free and determ
and I tend Vale is my team rt Po s,” es sn ther is good.” I have is breathles to go when the wea “The main symptom I’m d an s et bl ta y ach holidays ing well on m uple enjoy shor t co co e Th he said. “But I’m do t ge I If . ck are currently have a walking sti times a year and ur fo nd ou alright as long as I t.” ar bi a r in fo stop and sit down a visit to Scotland out of breath, I just looking forward to ay, t an aw rt n po he w im steady tive social life is ar y. They take it nu Ja age Maintaining an ac an b m clu d e larg ls, an e committee of a day trips and mea ng yi jo en t to Mick. He is on th fortnigh their ow n pace. d they meet every by doing things at for pensioners, an g rin Du d things like g club for bingo. n’t walk up hills an ca k ic h “M at the local bowlin ac co ly th if he wants to sit er, they go on mon has his stick and he t bu , at spring and summ s th lp he so ur friends untry, and Mick al ,” said Dorothy. “O do st ju e w n, w d trips around the co do ed a sitings, an e pie and pea even us, so they often ne lik as e ts ag en e ev m se sa ni e th ga or are 80s. !” parties for the over down too anyway ll b doesn’ t clu rs ne ness ok if I just stro io ns pe e age the breathless an m On the weeks th l “I e ca lif lo ke r ei ta th st got to ife Dorothy visit d Mick. “You’ve ju de ad t,” ou meet, he and his w ab h w, nc no r lu ep going like I am pair also go out fo it comes. If I can ke pub for bingo. The as ith w e tim d en nds and sp regularly with frie I’m happy.” . upon themselves by ar ne ily fam pair have taken it ey are e th , Th ily m fa y m m ort fro ent, sharing “I get a lot of supp bs busy and independ jo ep ith ke w to lp he ns so d . “My between them an brilliant,” said Mick household chores ughter takes me da y m d an s. e nd us with frie around the ho ntre as I keeping in touch at my specialist ce ts en tm t you can’t in po ap y to m ry good family, bu ” ve t w. go no e s ce e’v an “W st di long n’t don’t like driving e time, as they ca asonably ly on them all of th ‘re re in is thy. y ro th ro Do d Do e,” adde Mick said his wife you all of the tim e th ith w in t be ou es very ab r do tte ick they po elves. M good health ’ and ade a life for ours n m ee e tw e’v be “W k or w e aring th keep going.” garden together, sh wn and that, well, and we just do ng tti cu e th l al them. “She does sy. If we g. We try to keep bu and I do the plantin . te just sit and vegeta didn’t, we would nally the football occasio “I still try to go to
WINTER 2019 emphasis 32
